ABSTRACT. Since the original 1997 discovery of ancient hunting implements in melting alpine ice patches of southern Yukon, approximately 146 well-preserved, organic artifacts have been recovered. Most of the artifacts, variously made of antler, bone, wood, and stone, represent complete or partial examples of throwing-dart (atlatl) and bow-and-arrow technology. Radiocarbon dates obtained thus far range from 8360 BP to 90 BP (uncalibrated). Our research indicates that in southern Yukon, throwing-dart technology persisted from at least 8360 BP to approximately 1250 BP, when it was abruptly replaced by bow-and-arrow technology. The collection has afforded archaeologists and First Nation researchers a unique opportunity to learn about past hunting technologies and practices and thus greatly improve our understanding of the enduring relationships between humans and caribou.

ABSTRACT. Since the discovery of dung-rich alpine ice patches in southwest Yukon in 1997, continuing multidisciplinary studies have provided a unique window on the biology, climate, and hunting activity in this region over much of the Holocene. Aerial surveys have identified 72 ice patches of variable size, and 65 patches have been ground-surveyed for organic remains. Of these, 35 yielded an abundance of biological specimens, including caribou and other rare large mammal remains, mummified small mammals and birds, and artifacts spanning 8000 years. The dung provides pollen and plant macrofossils for analysis and paleoenvironmental reconstruction, as well as dietary, genetic, and parasitic information. Stratigraphically controlled sampling of dung within ice layers has yielded a geochronology placing their formation as early as 8300 to 8000 years BP. Ice patch formation was nearly continuous except for an interval between 6700 and 4700 years BP and another between 1440 and 1030, when warm or dry conditions (or both) resulted in no net ice accumulation. Resumption of ice accumulation over the following 500 years likely culminated in the Little Ice Age. The size of the ice patches during this period is made evident by a lichen-free zone that haloes each patch. More recently, interpretation of air photos from 1946 to 2001 has found a significant reduction in ice patch dimensions. Daily temperature records for Whitehorse (1942 -2001) were used to calculate melting degree-day values that account for a large part of the variation in ice patch size, indicating that while considerable melting has likely occurred since the end of the Little Ice Age, the ice patches are highly sensitive to decadal changes in temperature.

Pollen grains from bodies of ancient people provide clues to their diet and domicile. To learn more about Kwädāy Dän Ts'ìnchí (Long Ago Person Found), who died on a British Columbia glacier 550 years ago, we studied the Chenopodiaceae pollen found in his stomach and robe. Environmental scanning electron microscopy was used to distinguish pollen of the native chenopod genera Atriplex, Chenopodium, Eurotia, Suaeda, and Salicornia (here including Sarcocornia). All chenopod pollen grains in one stomach sample were from Salicornia (Tourn.) L. (glasswort), which grows only in saline soils and has been used for food and medicine. Elders from the Champagne and Aishihik, Tagish, Gwitch'in, and Tlingit First Nations report their ethnobotanical and historical knowledge about inland and coastal Salicornia species. There is no common use for the small inland annual glasswort, Salicornia rubra A. Nelson, although other species were used for grain further south; however, Pacific Northwest coastal people have eaten the succulent perennial glasswort, Salicornia perennis Miller, since at least the 1880s. Pollen grains of this perennial salt marsh species are most similar to the chenopod pollen grains in the stomach of Kwädāy Dän Ts'ìnchí and suggest the ancient man's last meal came from the coast rather than from inland.Key words: Chenopodiaceae, Salicornia, Sarcocornia, forensic palynology, frozen body, ethnobotany.

We report here on the results of AMS dating and isotopic analysis of the frozen human remains named Kwaday Dän Ts'inchí and associated materials recovered from a glacier located in Northwest British Columbia, Canada in 1999. The isotopic analysis of bone collagen (bulk and single amino acids) from the individual indicates a strongly marine diet, which was unexpected given the location of this find, more than 100 km inland eroding out of a high elevation glacier; however, bulk hair and bone cholesterol isotopic values indicate a shift in diet to include more terrestrial foods in the year before death. The radiocarbon dating is not straightforward, as there are difficulties in determining the appropriate marine correction for the human remains, and the spread of dates on the associated artifacts clearly indicates that this was not a single use site. By combining the most recent date on a robe worn by Kwaday Dän Ts'inchi with direct bone collagen dates we conclude that the individual likely dates to between cal A.D. 1670 to 1850, which is in the pre-(or early) European contact period for this region.

South Yukon First Nations governments are partners in the Yukon Ice Patch Project investigating the mountaintop snow and ice patches where ancient hunting artifacts are being recovered. Heritage programs operated by these governments, which coordinate their citizens' engagement in these activities, emphasize intangible cultural heritage. They view the project as an opportunity to strengthen culture, enhance citizens' understanding of their history, and express First Nations values regarding cultural resources. As the primary mammal subsistence species for south Yukon Indian people is now moose, the ice patch discoveries highlight the historical role of caribou in their culture and increase awareness of the environmental history of their homelands. The cultural landscape concept is used to frame the present indigenous involvement in the Yukon ice patch investigations, as well as the past use of these unique landscape features and ancient land-use patterns. The Yukon Ice Patch Project reflects the contemporary context of the territory, where indigenous governments are actively involved in managing and interpreting their cultural heritage.RÉSUMÉ. Les gouvernements des Premières Nations du sud du Yukon figurent au rang des partenaires du projet des névés du Yukon, dans le cadre duquel des chercheurs font des fouilles dans les névés de sommet de montagnes où d'anciens artefacts de chasse sont retrouvés. Les programmes du patrimoine administrés par ces gouvernements, qui coordonnent la participation de leurs citoyens à ces activités, mettent l'accent sur le patrimoine culturel immatériel. Aux yeux de ces gouvernements, ce projet constitue une occasion de renforcer leur culture, de faire en sorte que les citoyens connaissent mieux leur histoire et d'exprimer les valeurs des Premières Nations en ce qui a trait aux ressources culturelles. La principale espèce de subsistance des Autochtones du sud du Yukon est maintenant l'orignal, mais les découvertes des névés font ressortir le rôle historique du caribou au sein de leur culture et leur font connaître davantage l'histoire de leur environnement. On se sert du concept du paysage culturel pour encadrer la participation actuelle des Autochtones aux fouilles des névés du Yukon ainsi que pour définir l'utilisation passée de ces caractéristiques uniques du paysage et des anciennes tendances d'utilisation des terres. Le projet des névés du Yukon reflète le contexte contemporain du territoire, où les gouvernements autochtones s'adonnent à la gestion et à l'interprétation active de leur patrimoine culturel.